SABRINA FOX
FALCONER
HOME: Monmouth, Oregon
BIRDS: KT, 19-year-old rednape shaheen and barbary falcon; Jane, 6-year-old peregrine falcon; Merlin, 4-year-old gyrfalcon and peregrine falcon
Falconry is both a hobby and career for Sabrina Fox. About 15 years into her practice, she works full-time doing falconry-based abatement of nuisance birds, using trained raptors to scare off birds that cause loss of revenue for crop growers, health hazards at landfills, and safety concerns for airfields. She owns nearly 20 birds of prey with her husband.
How did you get into falconry?
I met a guy. … Isn’t that how all weird life choices start?
What was the first moment falconry felt meaningful to you?
I was at a club meet on the border of Minnesota and Iowa. I happened to be out photographing a few guys hunting. One of the red-tailed hawks caught a rabbit in a plowed-up corn field and I heard the rabbit scream. I was so close to the whole thing. I had no idea that rabbits could scream. That was the moment I decided I needed a hawk of my own.
What does your connection to the bird feel like?
Like any animal you spend daily time with, there is an emotional connection. Flying a hawk or falcon is a partnership. Every time I release a bird to fly, that bird chooses whether or not to return to me. Trust is huge.
Is preserving this ancient art important, culturally or environmentally?
Falconry is absolutely important to preserve culturally and environmentally. Without falconers, the peregrine might now be gone due to [the pesticide] DDT. It was a couple of falconers who managed to captive-breed and reintroduce the peregrine into the wild.
SARAHLEE LAWRENCE
ORGANIC FARMER
HOME: Terrebonne, Oregon
BIRD: Franklin, red-tailed hawk
Falconry is a hobby for Sarahlee Lawrence, who mostly hunts wild game with her bird while riding horseback through the rugged central Oregon terrain. She is in her first few years of practice, having found her mentor when he came to hunt his hawks on her farm.
What is the first moment you remember when falconry felt really meaningful?
When my bird came back to me after letting her fly free for the first time was pretty powerful. And still I think the return to the fist is the most magical moment in falconry for me. I fly my bird from horseback, and I would say that I do love the way she follows as I ride, sometimes fast, down canyons and through the trees. It feels like a possé, especially with the dogs and the horse.
What does your connection to the bird feel like?
Definitely camaraderie. Maybe most like a partnership. Certainly not a pet and no real emotional feelings coming from her. Just connected.
What is it like to care for a raptor?
There is a lot of raw meat involved, and finessing around a wild animal that can bite as well as foot you is challenging at times. It’s also unpleasant when they draw blood.
Do you make any of your own tools or equipment that you use for falconry?
I make all my own leather equipment. My master felt very strongly about my ability to make my own trap, hawk box for transportation, hood, jesses, and leash. I also built my own mews (birdhouse). I think that is all part of the art.
Why is having a mentor important?
It is absolutely essential to have a one-on-one relationship with a master falconer to learn the ancient art of falconry as well as the meticulous care of the birds of prey that is required. Falconry is not for everyone, but it is indeed an art, and like all arts, should be preserved.
Sarahlee Lawrence spends time with Franklin at a friend’s ranch in Sisters, Oregon, where she grazes her cattle.
BRIAN KELLOGG
RETIRED PREFLIGHT INSPECTOR
HOME: Terrebonne, Oregon
BIRD: Shasta, 19-year-old Harris’s hawk; Shaman, 12-year-old golden eagle
Brian Kellogg has practiced falconry for more than 50 years. Now a master falconer, he has belonged to the North American Falconers Association since 1977 and served as its Pacific Northwest director and Eagle Committee chairman. He founded the Washington Falconer’s Association, and was also one of the founders of the International Eagle Austringer’s Association. Shaman, his golden eagle, is the last to have been legally caught in the United States.
How did you get into falconry?
I have always been fascinated by raptors. It started when I found an injured screech owl as a kid. Progressing from there, I met a falconer in Issaquah, Washington (where I grew up). There were no license requirements back then and also not much written material available, so I learned things the hard way—trial and error.
Brian Kellogg specializes in making in fine hoods, bracelets, and jesses for eagles, which he sells worldwide.
Do you see falconry as a sport, art, trade, or something else?
It is all of the above. The sport of hunting, it is a blood sport, after all. It is an art in melding bird, dog, and man into a cohesive team. And there are many “arts” within the art, such as making equipment, learning to climb trees, or rappelling off cliffs in order to obtain young birds, or learning all of the nuances involved in captive breeding. It can become a trade as well by marketing your equipment, engaging in captive breeding, or
doing abatement.
What is your most unique falconry experience?
In 1978, I was given the opportunity to fly a very unusual bird, a changeable hawk-eagle from Sri Lanka. She was given to me by a friend who could no longer fly her due to health reasons. She was a joy to fly, was incredibly fast and so powerful.
What is it like to care for a raptor?
With falconry, you end up wearing several hats, from junior biologist learning all you can about the raptors and prey species in order to be successful. Also part-time veterinarian, as you’re always looking out for your charge’s best health and condition, and learning how to deal with common injuries. You are also a nutritionist, always providing the best food available to keep your bird in top condition.
Do you think preserving this ancient art is important, culturally or environmentally?
Of course. Culturally, falconry is over 4,000 years old. It is literally the oldest hunting method since spear-making. It exists in over 68 countries, with long histories in each, and had been recognized as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO. Falconers have to be environmentally conscious in order to keep pursuing our passion. If we weren’t, it would affect the charges we fly as well as the game we hunt. It behooves us to be aware of that.